Several brands offer state-of-the-art LED grow lights for both commercial and hobby growers. We would like to have a look at some of the coolest LED grow lights from three famous brands in our take on California Lightworks, Spider Farmer, and Black Dog LED grow lights.
These days, people are quite excited about growing plants indoors and in greenhouses. The latest advances in technologies have notably revolutionized the segment of LED grow lights with more brands offering high-efficiency and solid-state lighting solutions.
It is indeed a cool thing to get quality lights with full-spectrum lighting to boost plant growth in your greenhouses and indoor horticulture. Stay tuned with us to have a look at some of the best grow lights at competitive prices from leading brands.
THE BEST MODELS OF THE BRANDS AT A GLANCE
California Lightworks SolarSystem 550
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Spider Farmer SF-2000
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Black Dog LED PhytoMAX-2 200
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California Lightworks LED Grow Lights
California Lightworks offers LED grow lights in two popular series; SolarXtreme and SolarSystem. SolarXtreme is a line of full-spectrum grow lights with the vendor’s exclusive Optigrow spectrum to ensure the best results for plants in all their growing phases.
Meanwhile, SolarSystem is a collection of high-power grow lights that are ideal replacements for conventional HID bulbs with 50% less heat and energy consumption. Well, both the California Lightworks LED grow light series appear in 200W to 800W power options.
The brand also avails some of the models in ultra-violet options. We would like to have a look at a handful of the top-seller grow lights of both series below.
California Lightworks SolarXtreme 250
As you see, it is the entry-level variant of the vendor’s SolarXtreme LED grow lights. By consuming only 200 watts, the light can offer perfect lighting for small-scale home gardens and grow tents.
The 1.6A @120V (max) light utilizes an AC drive so it needs no LED drivers. The light will make you get high-efficiency, full-spectrum lighting at a lower cost. Check it out on the link below.
It features the brand’s exclusive OptiGrow full-spectrum lighting with a PPFD coverage of 500 at 18 in and 800 at 12 in. It can cover an area of 3 x 3 feet with a heat output of 640 BTU.
The light has a size of 8.5 x 8.5 x 4 in and it weighs just 6 lbs.
California Lightworks SolarXtreme 1000
It is the top-end model of the brand’s SolarXtreme solar grow lights. The compact light is an easy-to-use, full-spectrum grow light for small-scale home growers and growing tents.
Like all the models in the SolarXtreme series, it also features a new-gen COB design and direct AC drive technology. It consumes only 800W to cover a blooming area of 4 x 4 feet.
The light is a plug-and-play unit that can offer a full, white-light spectrum to boost plant growth at all its stages. It weighs 22 lbs and it has a size of 18 x 18 x 4 in.
California Lightworks SsolarSystem 550
The SolarSystem 550 is one of the best-seller variants of the California Lightworks’ SolarSystem LED grow lights. The high-power light is fine for use as a single piece in your grow tent or home garden or in hundreds of units in large-scale commercial applications.
One of the highlights of the grow light is that it features programmable spectrum control over a variety of wavelengths. You can adjust three different channels from 0 to 99% with the options like red and deep red, natural white, and blue and deep blue. Check it out on the link below.
SolarSystem 550 works at 50-60 Hz frequency and it draws a current of 3.3A @ 120V or 1.65A @ 240V maximum, with the power consumption ranging from 0 to 400 watts. The light can ideally cover a blooming area of 4 x 4 feet and a veg area of 6 x 6 feet.
The LEDs offer a lifespan of over 50000 and the light has a size of 18 x 8.5 x 4 in and it weighs 13 lbs. You can easily handle the light in your gardens and grow tents.
Spider Farmer LED Grow Lights
Spider Farmer is another popular vendor of LED grow lights. Its collection of top-notch LED grow lights appears in multiple series; SF Series, SE Series, and Veg Light Series. All the series come up in several variants to let you find the best model for your needs.
Apart from LED grow lights, Spider Farmer is also famous for its growing tents and growing kits. As a competitor to California Lightworks, Spider Farmer is indeed a notable innovator with a wide range of low-power, high-yield LED grow lights for all stages of plant growth.
Spider Farmer SF-1000
Spider Farmer SF-1000 is one of the coolest mid variants of the brand’s SF series grow lights. It is a high-yielding LED grow light with Samsung’s LM301B LED beads and it can ensure high energy efficiency with 2.5 umol/J to let your plants grow richly indoors.
The light consumes only 100W of current, which is 50% lesser than an HPS alternative. The light can offer a veg coverage of 3 x 3 feet and a blooming footprint of 2 x 2 ft. Check it out below.
The SF1000 features an interesting arrangement of the LED diodes, which help make PPFD more uniform. It has got a dimming knob so you can adjust the light intensity as per your preferences.
Also, you can pair multiple units of the lights and manage them all with unified dimming. That means, the Spider Farmer LED grow light is a fine choice for larger commercial gardening.
It can offer full-spectrum lighting of blue, white, red, and IR with a brightness of 5000K, 3000K, 660nm, and 760nm IR respectively. Build-wise, it is a well-engineered product with a solid and compact design. The grow light has a size of 11.8 x 10.5 x 2.3 in and it weighs 6.38 lbs.
Spider Farmer SE5000
SE5000 is a famous model in the Spider Farmer’s SE series of LED grow lights. This is a uniquely designed grow light with six-LED bars that can offer more canopy coverage. The light draws only 480 watts of power and is capable of delivering an impressive PPE of 2.75 umol/J.
Featuring over 2000 units of Samsung LM301 diodes, the SE5000 can ensure a core coverage of 3 x 3 feet and maximum coverage of 4 x 4 feet. It also highlights all the advanced features like full-spectrum lighting and a dim control facility. Check it out on the link below.
You can adjust the brightness in four modes to ensure perfect lighting for a variety of your plants in different stages. The dimming knob is easy for users to manage as per various growing conditions.
It equips an aluminum heat sink on the back for better dissipation of the heat, thereby increasing the lifetime of the LEDs. A removable driver with a power cord is another attraction.
Of course, you can pair up to 15 units of the grow light to apply in your large commercial gardens. That is how you get one of the best LED grow lights for home gardens, hydroponic systems, and large cultivation setups.
Black Dog LED Grow Lights
Black Dog is another prominent player in the segment of LED grow lights. With a team of highly professional product designers, the brand brought on sale an amazing variety of artificial grow lights for both commercial and home applications.
Its PhytoMAX-2 series is a collection of grow lights for home growers. It comes in a wide range of options, ranging from 200W to 1000W.
PhytoMAX-3 SP and PhytoMAX-3 SC are the brand’s professional and commercial-grade LED grow lights, and they are also available in many options.
Black Dog LED Phytomax-2 200
It is one of the base models of Black Dog’s Phytomax-2 series of LED grow lights. Consuming 210 watts of power, it can offer a total photon flux of 320 μMol/s and is an ideal choice for small grow tents and greenhouses.
PhytoMAX-2 200 is equipped with high-quality LED beads to deliver truly full-spectrum lighting with 365-750 nm and UV to NIR. That means you get a much more reliable and powerful source of light to grow your plants in all their stages. Check it out on the link below.
It is capable of penetrating dense canopies to make sure you get a brilliant yield. Compared to a 400W HPS light, it consumes only half of the current, but the yield is significantly better.
It features branded, top-quality LED beads to guarantee you better output and durability. Edge-to-edge coverage will give your plants a further boost in their growth. It has a veg footprint of 3.75 x 3.75 feet and a flowering coverage of 3 x 3 feet.
The light has a size of 12 x 12 x 5 in ad it weighs 14 lbs. The compact and solid design is another attraction of the Black Dog LED grow light.
Black Dog LED PhytoMAX-2 1000
It is a high-power, full-spectrum LED growing light for home gardens and grow tents. The light consumes only 1050 watts of power and produces a total photon flux of 1602 μMol/s to let the plants grow richly in your home gardens, and greenhouses.
PhytoMAX-2 1000 is a full-spectrum grow light with 365-750nm and UV to NIR lighting options. It features the brand’s proprietary Phyto-Genesis Spectrum to evenly distribute the light over the whole footprint with better PAR levels. Check it out on the link below.
Compared to a 1000W HPS light, it can increase the yield by more than 50%. It features 420 high-output 5W LED beads, which help save on power consumption and deliver you better lighting.
The light features glass lenses for a clean and durable profile.
It has a veg footprint of 8 x 8 feet and a blooming footprint of 6 x 6 feet and the light has the dimensions of 21 x 21 x 7 in and a weight of 53 lbs.
Final Thoughts
That has been our take on California Lightworks, Spider Farmer, and Black Dog LED grow lights.
All the brands have a wide range of LED grow lights, and we have had a look at a few leading models of the brands. Hopefully, it will be helpful for a grower to find the best light to boost plant growth. Share your thoughts about the products in the comments.
Vahid Vee is a full-time blogger who is highly passionate about home gardening and green products for households. As an incredible researcher and observer of smart home gardening systems and solutions, he is really excited to share with you the latest trends, fresh products, and other developments in the market. #Contact – veevahid@gmail.com – LinkedIn
